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KORONADAL CITY—The United States government has allotted $73 million (P3.5 billion) to fund a “green plan” for Mindanao.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said that under the plan, Washington would support the development and implementation of energy and environment projects that would help address the peace and order problem in Mindanao.

“We all have a stake in the environment; environment affects us all,” she said during the opening of the 18th Mindanao Business Conference here last week.

Kenney said that one area the US would focus on was rural electrification through clean energy because it would help people in a community.

She said the US government had been promoting environmentally friendly energy projects in the Philippines. In Mindanao for example, these efforts are being implemented by the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (Amore) program.

Kenney said the fresh funds would be used to support Amore’s renewable energy-based electrification projects.

Amore would have spent $18 million (P882 million) for its second phase which ends this month.

“Phase three is coming up and we are signing the agreement soon,” Kenney said.

She explained that Amore wanted to intensify its activities in Mindanao because the island remained the least energized in the country.

The Department of Energy (DoE) earlier said that as of March 2009, 454 villages in Mindanao did not have electricity as of March 2009.

Kenney also said that Mindanao’s future would be brighter if people learned to respect their differences and uphold the law.

“A peaceful community, grounded in the rule of law and respect for all citizens, can be a magnet for investment,” she said.

She noted that Mindanao contributed much to the national economy as it produces many products such as seaweed, tuna and fruits.

Kenney said that it was in the best interest of all Filipinos to have a “prosperous, developed Mindanao.”